Marketing Plan for Spectrum Leisure Centre
1. Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to prepare a marketing plan for Spectrum Leisure Centre (SLC) in Guildford. SLC is one of the largest leisure centres in UK to provide wide range of facilities for local people. The marketing plan will be based on the secondary data which will be collected from different sources such as company’s website, annual reports, articles, journals and other reliable sources. In order to make this marketing plan more effective, various marketing tools and theories will be used such as SWOT analysis, PESTEL analysis, marketing mix etc. This paper will also include the study of current situation of SLC in terms of its social position, environmental situation and strategic analysis. Furthermore, this paper will also highlight the company’s target market along with its service line and price. In addition to this, service promotion and advertising strategies of SLC will also be discussed in this paper. Lastly, marketing research will be conducted in order to find out the views and opinions of customers about SLC.
2. Situational analysis
The situational analysis is conducted in order to study the current situation of SLC in terms of its social position, environmental situation and strategic analysis.
2. 1. Social position
The social position of a company is determined by various factors such as age, gender, lifestyle etc. In case of SLC, it can be seen that the company is targeting all age groups as its customers. The company has something to offer for all age groups whether it is children, adults or senior citizens. Furthermore, SLC is also targeting both genders i.e. male and female as its customers. It can be seen that the company has made separate arrangements for male and female customers such as different changing rooms and toilets etc. In addition to this, SLC is also targeting those customers who are health conscious and want to live a healthy lifestyle. The company provides facilities such as gymnasium, swimming pool etc. which helps its customers to stay fit and healthy.
2. 2 Environmental situation
The environmental situation of a company can be studied by using PESTEL analysis which includes political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors.
Political factors: The political factors that can affect the business of SLC are government policies related to taxation, environment and health & safety etc. It can be seen that the government has introduced various policies such as carbon tax which can have a negative impact on the business of SLC as the company has to bear additional costs due to this tax. However, the government has also introduced policies which are favourable for the business of SLC such as reduction in VAT rate from 20% to 5%. This policy has resulted in increase in demand for leisure services which has benefited the business of SLC (Harding et al., 2016).
Economic factors: The economic factors that can affect the business of SLC are inflation rate, interest rate, exchange rate etc. It can be seen that due to recent economic recession, there has been a sharp decline in discretionary income of people which has resulted in reduction in demand for leisure services (Pickton et al., 2015). However, now the economy is showing signs of recovery which is likely to result in increase in demand for leisure services in future (Taylor et al., 2016).
Social factors: The social factors that can affect the business of SLC are changing lifestyles, demographics etc. It can be seen that due to changing lifestyles, people are becoming more health conscious and they want to live a healthy lifestyle. This trend has resulted in increase in demand for leisure services such as gymnasium, swimming pool etc. (Whitelaw et al., 2015). In addition to this, the ageing population is also one of the major social factors that can affect the business of SLC. It can be seen that due to increase in life expectancy, the number of senior citizens is also increasing which is likely to result in increase in demand for leisure services in future (Williams et al., 2016).
Technological factors: The technological factors that can affect the business of SLC are new methods of marketing, social media etc. It can be seen that due to advancement in technology, various new methods of marketing have emerged such as internet marketing, mobile marketing etc. which have made it easier for the companies to reach their target customers (Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick, 2012). In addition to this, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter etc. have also emerged as a powerful tool for marketing which can be used by the companies to promote their products and services (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010).
Environmental factors: The environmental factors that can affect the business of SLC are climate change, pollution etc. It can be seen that due to climate change, there has been a rise in temperature which has resulted in reduction in demand for swimming pools and other outdoor facilities (Wang et al., 2016). In addition to this, pollution is also one of the major environmental factors that can affect the business of SLC as it can result in health problems for the customers which can reduce the demand for leisure services (Li et al., 2016).
Legal factors: The legal factors that can affect the business of SLC are laws related to health & safety, environment etc. It can be seen that there are various laws which have been introduced by the government in order to protect the environment such as carbon tax, emissions trading schemes etc. These laws can have a negative impact on the business of SLC as the company has to bear additional costs due to these laws (Harding et al., 2016).
2. 3 Strategic analysis
The strategic analysis is conducted in order to study the current strategies being used by SLC. The company is using various growth strategies such as product development, market expansion etc. in order to expand its business. In case of product development strategy, the company has introduced new facilities such as dance studio, football pitch etc. In case of market expansion strategy, the company has opened its new branch in Woking. The company is also using various marketing mix tools such as price, promotion, place etc. in order to attract more customers and increase its sales.
3. Definition of the target market
The target market of a company is defined as those groups of customers who are most likely to purchase its products or services (Kotler and Keller, 2006). After conducting situational analysis, it has been found that SLC is targeting all age groups as its customers. The company has something to offer for all age groups whether it is children, adults or senior citizens. Furthermore, SLC is also targeting both genders i.e. male and female as its customers. It can be seen that the company has made separate arrangements for male and female customers such as different changing rooms and toilets etc. In addition to this, SLC is also targeting those customers who are health conscious and want to live a healthy lifestyle. The company provides facilities such as gymnasium, swimming pool etc. which helps its customers to stay fit and healthy.
4. Service line
SLC is one of the largest leisure centres in UK to provide wide range of facilities for local people. The company has something to offer for all age groups whether it is children, adults or senior citizens. The facilities provided by the company include swimming pool, gymnasium, dance studio, football pitch, squash court etc. The company also provides various membership packages which are suitable for all budget levels. In addition to this, the company also provides birthday party packages for children.
5. Price
The price is one of the most important elements of marketing mix as it can affect the demand for a product or service (Kotler and Keller, 2006). SLC is offering its services at a competitive price which is suitable for all budget levels. The company has introduced various membership packages which are suitable for all budget levels. In addition to this, the company is also offering discounts on its services from time to time which helps it to attract more customers.
6. Service promotion
Service promotion is the process of creating awareness about a product or service among potential customers (Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2002). SLC is using various promotion mix tools such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations etc. in order to create awareness about its products and services among potential customers. The company is using various mediums such as television, radio, newspaper etc. for advertising its products and services. In addition to this, the company is also using various sales promotion techniques such as discounts, coupons etc. in order to attract more customers.
7. Advertising
Advertising is one of the most important tools of promotion mix as it helps a company to create awareness about its products or services among potential customers (Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2002). SLC is using various mediums such as television, radio, newspaper etc. for advertising its products and services. The company has also launched a website where potential customers can get information about its products and services. In addition to this, the company is also using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter etc. in order to create awareness about its products and services among potential customers.
8. Marketing research
Marketing research is an important tool which helps a company to gather information about potential customers (Kotler and Keller, 2006). In order to find out the views and opinions of customers about SLC, a survey will be conducted among 100 potential customers of the company. The survey will include questions related to customer satisfaction level, customer expectations etc. After conducting the survey, it will be analysed that what are the factors that are affecting the brand image of SLC and what are the areas where the company needs to improve its performance in order to attract more customers.
9. SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis is an important tool which helps a company to identify its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (Kotler and Keller, 2006). The SWOT analysis of SLC is given below:
Streng